Ancient lithic city that presents several stages of occupation. Its walls rise on a plateau of 5 square kilometers. They are built on dangerous abysses and deep ravines. The material used for its construction is crushed stone secured with wedges and joined with clay mortar.
In these buildings you can see towers with an ovoid (circular) plan, with heights that exceed 10 m and are among the largest in the northern mountains of Peru.
It is 9 km (30 min. by car) from the city of Huamachuco and is located at 3650 meters above sea level. Visits: L-Sun: 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Marcahuamachuco is an archaeological complex of pre-Inca architectural constructions located in the Sánchez Carrión province of the La Libertad Region, Peru. Marcahuamachuco in the Quechua language means "Town of men with falcon hats." Although less known, it is considered by archaeologists as the “Machu Picchu of the North” and “The Jewel of Freedom.” This architectural evidence is located at an altitude of 3,700 meters above sea level. Its constructions of five square kilometers were made from crushed stone secured with wedges and joined with clay mortar; its design and distribution being a clear domain of hydraulic engineering and architectural art. It is surrounded by deep ravines and rugged rocks.
"Due to the advanced nature of its architectural structure and its imposing nature, the pre-Inca Marcahuamachuco archaeological complex was classified as 'the Machu Picchu of the North' by the former president of the Republic Fernando Belaunde, in the 1980s," recalls Arturo Cruz, one of the young people trained as tourist counselors by the Andean Tourism program of Sierra Exportadora.
Marcahuamachuco is made up of more than 300 sites, many of them monumental in nature, mostly located a short distance from the city of Huamachuco.
“These sites have the particularity of having been built on very high hills, and of presenting buildings with large stone walls built with a very attractive stonework style, which alternates large blocks with smaller stones,” says Cruz.
You can see buildings such as the Rectangular Towers, the Las Monjas buildings, and numerous niches of different shapes where the settlers and nobility figures of this culture were buried.
For his part, Jaime Sosa, deputy tourism manager of the Municipality of Sánchez Carrión, where Huamachuco and the aforementioned archaeological centers are located, highlights the growing arrival of visitors from Trujillo, Cajamarca and Lima, who are impressed by the majesty of Marcahuamachuco.
“We have two tour operators, as well as travel agencies from Trujillo and Cajamarca, that strongly promote the archaeological and architectural monuments of Marcahuamachuco, as well as other attractions that Huamachuco has,” he adds.
“These operators have been coordinating with the Sánchez Carrión Chamber of Tourism, the Association of Hotels, Restaurants and Related Services of Huamachuco and the different social organizations of the province to put together promotional packages to attract more tourists,” he indicates.
The province of Sánchez Carrión is not only Marcahuamachuco. The Wiracochapampa archaeological site also impresses the visitor, located ten minutes from the center of the city of Huamachuco.
In parallel, more tourist corridors are being worked on that are oriented towards fishing, boating and thermal baths, taking into account the Sausacocha and Cushuro lagoons, and the Yanasara and El Edén hot springs.
“Tourists also like our cuisine; and the house specialty is trout, which can be found in the nearly 50 restaurants in Huamachuco,” explains the president of the Sausacocha Tour Operators Association, Edy Malqui.
The high season for tourism in Huamachuco occurs between the months of July and August, due to the National Holidays and the festival of the Virgin of Altagracia (the biggest event in the province), whose main date is August 15.
However, Jaime Sosa emphasizes that this does not prevent tourists from coming to this city in the Liberteña mountains at any time of the year and enjoying the charms offered by the homeland of the independence hero José Faustino Sánchez Carrión.
If you want to visit Machu Picchu, we recommend you to book your Machu Picchu entrance tickets in advance, so you will enjoy your Vacation in Machu Picchu without any problem.
